This invention relates to panel assemblies having brackets or other structures secured thereto and, more particularly, to a window panel assembly especially adapted for use in vehicles or other structures where the window must be raised and lowered, usually by sliding movement by means of a window regulator connected to the bracket.
In the typical vehicle, two or more side window panels are provided adjacent the driver and passenger which may be raised and lowered typically by sliding movement via hand-operated or electrical mechanisms. The window panel assemblies are mounted in tracks or channels and are generally moved vertically. It is common to provide a bracket along the bottom edge of the window which allows for the attachment of a scissors linkage, gear driven regulator mechanism, tape or cable drive system to move the window when desired. The brackets typically provide a channel for receipt of rollers or other connections to the mechanisms and are preferably rigidly secured to the window panel in one of various known methods.
One of the prior known window bracket attachment methods is to fit a channel-type bracket over a casing on a peripheral edge of a window panel. The assembly has previously been drilled to provide apertures entirely through the window glass and casing. Appropriate screws or other fasteners are inserted through the bracket, casing and the window glass to hold the bracket in position. Not only does such method require drilling or boring of the window glass which often results in glass breakage and increased waste due to rejection of the assembly, but the fasteners can loosen after repeated usage causing rattles and sloppy operation for the window over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Alternate methods for attaching regulator mechanisms to vehicle windows have included the provision of precast or premolded gasket portions or sash plates having integral attachment areas or channels therein which are secured to a window edge after their molding. One such sash plate is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,211 to Raley et al. which includes an integral channel for receiving the roller of a regulator mechanism but does not require a separate bracket other than the sash plate secured to the window itself. The separate sash plate must be secured either by appropriate adhesives or mechanical fasteners and can loosen and result in the same problems described above for the brackets applied with fasteners through bored or drilled holes in the glass.
Yet another method is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,113 to Weaver wherein a metal channel-type bracket and a glass window sheet are simultaneously inserted within a mold cavity followed by injection of polymeric molding material between the bracket and glass and around various edges of the window such that the material, when cured, adheres the bracket to the glass. This assembly requires a complex mold in which the bracket is precisely positioned around portions of the sheet glass edge followed by injection molding fully throughout the mold cavity between the bracket and glass, typically using reaction injection molded polyurethane materials, followed by appropriate curing If the bond between the glass and molding material or between the bracket and molding material is less than secure, failure of the resulting assembly during operation may result.
Therefore, a need was apparent for a window panel assembly including a bracket reliably and easily secured to a window to allow attachment of a window regulator mechanism both for vehicles and other structures, as well as a method for making such a panel assembly which would allow simple attachment of the bracket over an edge of a window without requiring fasteners to extend into or through the window and which would provide secure, stable operation over the life of the window.